The Detroit Lions' Ennis Rakestraw experiment looked like it had failed entering the season, considering he was a second-round pick in 2024 who could never stay healthy.
Rakestraw suffered an injury in college that scared some teams away during the draft process. He was once considered a first-rounder, but his injury scares dropped him to the second, and Brad Holmes and the Lions jumped on him. Landing him and Terrion Arnold in the same draft class was supposed to lock down the secondary for the foreseeable future.
Two injury-plagued seasons and one release of Arnold later, the cornerback situation in Detroit is about as dire as it’s ever been, but Sunday proved that there are signs of life again.
Rakestraw had already been healthy-scratched this season, but he suited up for Sunday’s game against the Jets and got an opportunity to prove himself, and he didn’t disappoint. While Pro Football Focus didn’t give him the highest grade for his performance, that’s one of those “don’t believe PFF” performances because he allowed just one catch for six yards all game.
That one catch that he did allow wasn’t even really his fault. He smothered Garrett Wilson, but the talented receiver still caught a contested pass and was immediately dragged to the ground by Rakestraw.
On Monday, Dan Campbell said that the oft-criticized third-year cornerback had a “promising” performance, and he’s going to get more opportunities because of it.
Campbell says he felt Rakestraw showed up and that his game was promising. Said he's gonna get more opportunities
— Mike Payton (@AtoZ_Payton) September 28, 2026
If you want to see just how good Rakestraw played on Sunday, Mike Payton did a really good breakdown of his limited snaps and showed just why Campbell was so pleased with his young cornerback. He was matched up with Wilson several times and only gave up one completion because he stuck to the former Buckeye like glue.
If this ends up working out and Rakestraw emerges as a lockdown cornerback opposite DJ Reed, the panic over the secondary is going to subside — especially when Brian Branch returns.
Lions fans finally got to see what Brad Holmes was excited about
When Holmes and the Lions picked Rakestraw in 2024, there was real excitement about him and Arnold becoming that 1-2 punch at cornerback for a long time in Detroit.
Unfortunately, the opposite has played out.
Arnold is now gone after a run-in with the law, and Rakestraw has never been able to stay healthy for long stretches. Patience has paid off, at least for now, as Rakestraw looked like that fringe first-round pick against the Jets, allowing just one catch for six yards, and he even recorded his first career pass breakup.
Campbell wanted to see something from the young cornerback to prove that he could still have a future in Detroit, and Rakestraw delivered.
Now he’s going to get more opportunities as a potential CB2 moving forward, and if he plays anything like he did against the Jets, he’s going to find himself a permanent role in Detroit.
Now we know why Holmes was so excited about this pick.
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